6 / 27 / 2024

Dear Friends,

This is the end-of-June newsletter which means . . . school’s out and it’s officially summer! It’s also a good time for my annual reminder – to everyone – to stop talking about our girls’ bodies.

Time and time again we are reminded that what is often meant with the best of intention, can lead to a lifetime of insecurities for our daughters. See here for a story from last year involving one of my own daughters and a well intended “compliment” from a grandmotherly stranger.

Society still teaches our girls to compare themselves to others, and even those most self-assured have difficulty combatting this pressure. These girls are also incredibly observant, they listen and absorb a lot. They take in things said in the media, on Instagram, and by all the adults around them (even when it’s directed at others or about themselves) with a great intensity and sensitivity. They don’t miss much, these girls. And given our society’s long-lasting, horrific obsession with beauty and size, this has consequences.

But you know who CAN ALSO PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE in shaping our girls’ beliefs on this topic? DADS.

By actively encouraging – and participating – in positive self talk, you can be part of a dynamic change. When you comment that she looks stunning in the sunlight, or how her radiant smile lights up any room she’s in – you are finding a way to tell her she’s a beauty without commenting on her body.

And this goes for the comments you say about other women in her life, too. Please don’t say you’re saying quiet for fear of messing up, we’re past that now. Be better. Be proactive. Help her see her beauty and enjoy summer for all its glory.